Pawprints in the Snow
by kenziepaige8818
Summary: Kallie is a fourteen year old girl who is just getting used to being a wolf, Jake is fifteen, also a wolf, and Kallie's best friend who is secretly in love with her. Kallie is unaware of Jake's feelings for her. Her new life is both confusing and haunting
1. Chapter 1

~Kallie~

I crouched in the woods, not even daring to breathe. I slowly took in my surroundings, looking for the same two people I see everyday. The boy, Sam he was called, was sitting by the window strumming his guitar. Next to him sat Grace who was listening intently with her eyes closed. I took a small step into the sunlight and quickly retreated. The small drop of golden sun had already started to warm my fur. I wasn't ready to shift yet. I was terrified of the searing pain that was already building inside of me. Suddenly the clouds uncovered the sun, and I didn't have time to react. I was in my human skin again before I could even blink.

~Jake~

_Where is she? I asked myself._ _I swear that girl is never on time. _I decided that I would wait five more minutes and then go look for her. I didn't feel like standing on the sidewalk for five more minutes so I walked into my favorite book store. The first thing I noticed when I walked in was that the small paper cranes that used to hang from the ceiling were gone.

"Hey Jake." I looked up to see Sam sitting at the counter.

"Hey Sam. What happened to all the cranes?" He didn't seem to hear me at first. His face looked distant.

"Uh Sam?"

"Huh, what?"

"Never mind." I told him and headed for the door.

He didn't say another word as the bell dinged behind me.

~Kallie~

I crawled to the shed in Grace's yard to get some clothes and food. She and Sam had built the shed the previous year, and all the new wolves used it. I walked out into the summer sun, letting the wind blow through my long chestnut curls. I breathed in the smell of freshly cut grass and pine.

"Kallie?" I froze, the hair on the back of my neck standing on end.

"Kallie it's Grace. Grace Brisbane." she took a step toward me, her long blond hair was put up in a ponytail. I shrunk away from her though I don't why, she wasn't a threat to me.

"I'm not going to hurt you Kallie. I just want to talk." Grace took another step forward.

_Stop being silly Kal." I told myself._

"Sorry about that Grace. You just kinda scared me so I freaked." I stepped out of the shadows. Grace gave a small chuckle then asked extremely casually,"How long Kallie?"

_She couldn't possibly know._ "How long what?" I questioned.

"How long have you been a wolf?"

This was a topic I hated to touch. I felt panic rising inside of me and before I knew it, I was racing back into the woods with Grace shouting my name after me.


	2. Chapter 2

~Kallie~

I kept running until I could no longer hear Grace's voice behind me. I had never been in this part of the woods. The old gnarled trees left menacing shadows on the forest floor. A breeze blew straight through the leafless trees, making me shiver. Suddenly I heard footsteps, but I couldn't tell which direction they were coming from. Blindly, I ran in a straight line forward. The forest became more and more unfamiliar. Soon I was hopelessly lost. I couldn't hear the footsteps anymore so I sat down on a jagged rock by a blue-green creek. I slid off my shoes and just barely let my toes brush the surface of the water. For awhile, all I could hear was the sound of the creek and wind blowing through the trees. Then the faint sound of footsteps appeared again, faster this time. I snatched my shoes and took off running. Again, the direction of the footsteps were indistinguishable. It wasn't until I collided with my pursuer that I realized I had been heading straight toward the footsteps. A scream escaped my throat before a hand clamped over my mouth.

~Jake~

_Couldn't I just for once not have to worry about her._ When Kallie didn't show, I decided to head into the forest to look for her.

"She better not have gotten into any trouble." I muttered under my breath. The trees seemed to become taller as I delved deeper into the forest. I stopped for a moment and realized I didn't recognize any of the surroundings.

_Crap. Now what?_ I kept walking hoping that I would eventually recognize something. Finally, I found the clearing where I like to go to clear my head. But no Kallie. I grabbed handfuls of my short light brown hair in frustration. I was just about to put my foot to a tree when I heard footsteps. Before I could even think about it, I took off towards the sound.

The forest began to look unfamiliar again, but I paid no mind. After a while, I wasn't sure if I still heard footsteps or if they were just my own. I stopped so that I could listen better. No footsteps._ Darn. Kallie where are you?_ I leaned back against a tree and sighed. Then I got myself together and started walking again. Suddenly I could hear the footsteps again. I quickened my pace. They sounded like they were only a few feet away. Turns out I was right. I caught the familiar chestnut curls and dazzling emerald eyes. Apparently she didn't see me because she kept running until we collided. She screamed in surprise and I put my hand over her mouth so that no one would think there was some crazy homicidal lunatic in the forest. She relaxed and her breathing steadied. "Kallie Lynn Blair, what am I gonna do with you?"

~Kallie~

I was so relieved when I saw that I had collided with Jake. "Kallie Lynn Blair, what am I gonna do with you?" I laughed at Jake's words.

"I'm sorry Jake, I thought I was being chased by some physcho." I told him, my voice still shaking a little.

"Oh Kal, you and that imagination of yours." he chuckled. His soft brown eyes were full of humor and then his face turned serious.

"Kallie, where have you been? I waited outside the bookstore for you for like fifteen minutes!" I blushed when he grabbed my shoulders.

"I'm really sorry Jake. I was about to come meet you, but I ran into Grace and she seemed to know about me so I took off."

Jake let go of my shoulders and let out a sigh. Then he looked at me again with one eyebrow raised. "Wait, Grace knew you were a wolf? How?"

" I don't know, she just did." I replied.

Jake seemed to contemplate this for a moment, and then he just shrugged. "Smart girl." he said. "Guess so." I agreed.

"Now come on Kal, let's go." Jake grabbed my hand and started pulling back into the trees. "Where are we going?" I queried.

"Where all fourteen and fifteen year old wolfs go." he answered. A smile spread across my face. We were going to Beck's.


	3. Chapter 3

~Jake~

I wanted to yell at her for being so careless by running off into the forest, but her small delicate hand felt so warm and comforting in mine that all my frustration just melted away. Her emerald eyes turned to meet my mahogany ones. "Jake, I'm really sorry." her voice was sincere. I gave her a small smile, "It's alright Kal. I just can't stand the fact of something happening to you is all." She pulled me into a side hug and I breathed in her scent. She always smelled like sweet pea for some reason. Kallie is shorter than me so her chestnut curls tickled just under my nose when she hugged me. She's been my best friend since kindergarten when both of us got lost on the first day of school. Both of us have been wolves for only a year. Kallie's parents were afraid of their daughter and they had dropped her off at a friend's house and just drove off. Packed up all their things and moved away without warning. It had broke Kallie's heart and she was still recovering from it. Luckily, my parents had been kind enough to let her move into our basement. She's my best friend, fellow pack member and I am madly and unconditionally in love with her.

~Kallie~

Being in Jake's embrace was always a comfort. It had been ever since that first day in kindergarten. I was happy to be living with him and his parents who had said they thought of me as their adopted daughter. I had adopted them as my parents in this past year, since my real ones drove off and left me. I felt my heart jerk and I held back a sob. Jake squeezed my shoulder. "Everything all right Kal?"

I sniffled and nodded. He rubbed my back and said, "It's not your fault and you know it."

I smiled up at him and grabbed his hand once again. Shortly after we arrived at Beck's.

~Jake~

Kallie loves going to Beck's, though I'm not sure why. She claims it makes her feel safe and secure. I felt this way anytime I was around her or she entered my thoughts.

There was a light on upstairs but other than that the house was empty and dark. Kallie plopped down in a recliner and wrapped her arms around herself. I headed over to the fridge and grabbed a water bottle. "Want one?" I offered her. She shook her head and closed her eyes. I took a seat on the floor next to her chair. I looked at her peaceful face and lightly brushed her curls with my fingertips. She smiled slightly and then seemed to be asleep. I went upstairs to get a blanket for her, when I heard someone say my name. I turned to see Sam and his girlfriend Grace coming out of the lit room. "Hey Jake." he said. "Hey Sam." I greeted him. "Hi." Grace voiced. I nodded in her direction. " So she's a wolf too huh?" Sam asked me casually. "Yeah. I replied. I hadn't told Kallie, but Sam had been the one that found me when I first turned. He had taken care of me and shown me Beck's place. He was like an older brother to me. I had only met Grace a couple of times but she seemed pretty cool.

Sam constantly talked about her. Suddenly I remembered Kallie downstairs. "Should I wake up Kallie?" I inquired. "No, let her sleep for now. We can talk later." Sam answered. I grabbed the blanket that I had come up to get and walked quietly back down the stairs. I laid the blanket over her sleeping body and slid a pillow under her head. I lightly pressed my lips to her forehead and then laid down on a couch opposite her chair and shut my eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

~Jake~

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was that Kallie was gone. I jolted upright. It wouldn't surprise me if she had taken off when she saw Sam and Grace. I decided to check upstairs before I started seriously panicking. I couldn't believe it when I found Kallie and Grace in Sam's room, sitting on the floor, playing cards, and...laughing? The two girls couldn't stop smiling and cracking up. Suddenly Kallie noticed me standing in the doorway. "Hey Sleepy Head." she voiced. "Hey, what are you guys up to?" I asked. "Oh, Grace and I are playing Old Maid." Kallie answered. I sat down on the floor next to her. "Cool, where's Sam?" "He went out for awhile, but he'll be back." Grace answered simply. I nodded in acknowledgment. "You wanna play with us?" Kallie offered. "Um, sure." I replied.

I suck at card games. Especially Old Maid. Kallie and Grace figured this out pretty quick and used it to their advantage. It was still fun though. Seeing my Kallie light up and laugh was a reward in itself. I wish I could tell her how I feel, but I just can't take the risk of damaging our friendship. It's much too precious to me.

~Kallie~

I was really hoping that Jake would wanna play Old Maid with Grace and I, but I couldn't be sure. I knew he really wasn't very good at card games. To my surprise, he agreed to play. Grace figured out pretty fast that Old Maid was not Jake's forte. She and I took advantage of this fact, which I feel kinda bad about now actually. But I couldn't hide how much I was enjoying myself. I could not stop smiling and laughing. I hadn't felt this good since...before my transformation. I quickly pushed this thought aside so as to not ruin my good mood. Besides, it was hard for me not to be happy anytime Jake was around. He's so funny and makes me feel so good inside. You could even say that I'd developed a little crush on him. Or a big crush. Or even...fine I'm in love with Jake. I will never admit it to him though. I'm too afraid of being rejected. I've had enough rejection to last for a life time.

~Jake~

After losing three games in a row of Old Maid to Grace and Kallie, I decided to leave the house to go for a walk. I was surprised and flattered when Kallie said she wanted to join me. As soon as we were out the door she reached for my hand. She made it really hard for me not to have these feelings. I looked down at her and she smiled. My heart skipped a beat. I felt my face heat up and quickly turned away. If only...

~Kallie~

I couldn't help but smile when Jake looked down at me. He always made me so happy. His hand was holding mine with a firm grip. I loved how protective he was of me. I loved everything about him. I felt myself blushing and quickly thought of a different subject. The woods outside of Beck's house were so pretty. I was glad Jake had let me accompany him. Ah, back to Jake again. I had to stare at the ground to keep him from seeing my face. "You all right Kal?" he asked me. I looked up and nodded. He smiled in relief and I had to catch my breath. His brown eyes seemed to glisten in the sunlight. And his short chocolate hair seemed to shine too. Before I knew what was doing, I stretched up on my tip toes, inches from Jake's face. Then I surprised us both by kissing him gently on the mouth.


End file.
